James Franklin and Penn State actually had their eyes set on Jim Knowles years ago

It was a long time coming, but James Franklin got his guy. In the wake of Tom Allen leaving Penn State to become the new defensive coordinator at Clemson, Franklin acted swiftly to poach one of the best in the game today from a bitter rival. It may have seemed strange that Penn State was able to land Jim Knowles very soon after Ohio State won the College Football Playoff, but it was part of the plan.

In Audrey Snyder's latest for The Athletic, she revealed that Penn State had its eyes on Knowles since maybe even before he left Oklahoma State for Columbus. Franklin had him as a potential candidate to join his staff years ago. The Nittany Lions opted to go in the direction of hiring former Miami head coach Manny Diaz, who is coming off a great first season as the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils.

Franklin mentioned to Snyder that Knowles was always a bit of a dream candidate for him at Penn State.

“I’ve been at places in my career where you have your dream list (of candidates), and they’re not really realistic. Your dream list at Penn State is realistic, specifically now with the support we have, but again, it was a twisting and turning process.”

He then poked the bear a bit by saying he felt bad about preventing Knowles from going to a parade.

“I will say this in defense of Jim because I knew he took some grief for this. Jim had all intentions of going to their national championship celebration. We did not have a deal yet. … I was concerned that it being announced might screw up our ability to get the deal done.”

This chess move put forth by Franklin only adds to the rivalry between Ohio State and Penn State.

James Franklin had his eyes set on landing Jim Knowles as DC years ago

Even though it may be a hammer vs. nail rivalry in the Big Ten, there is reason to believe that Penn State might finally get another past Ohio State this upcoming season. I have both the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions as two of three College Football Playoff locks, along with the Texas Longhorns of the SEC. Right now, I like what Penn State has done this offseason the most over Ohio State.

While losing great coordinators like Allen, Diaz and Brent Pry in succession could hurt most programs due to coaching attrition, Franklin has been more than capable of winning double-digit games annually. He is known as "The Driver" for a reason... That being said, this year will be all about the offense becoming more multi-dimensional, without the defense skipping a beat under its new voice.

Yes, Penn State did lose some great talent to the 2025 NFL Draft, but this is the year for the Nittany Lions to get it. Ohio State has suffered far great attrition from a coaching and roster standpoint than them. Over in the SEC, national title contenders like Georgia and Texas are working in new starting quarterbacks. Clemson is not in the ACC, but Indiana and Oregon are doing just that in the Big Ten.

Penn State poached Knowles from Ohio State in the hopes he can help them win a championship.